Duke's Grace
by Therabidsquirrel
Summary: Set a few years after Beginning of an End, with the ducks home on Puckworld. This story revolves souly around Duke so, please enjoy.


****

Duke's Grace

*** 

Um… Not much to say today. ^-^ Just that, this is the next story in the series. Yeah!!! Finally, I'm giving you the next piece hoooo!! Hope you enjoy it and reviews and flames are welcome. Flames are listened to and pondered for a moment and if they're just out right rude I shall ignore them completely. For those who prefer warning, this story does have a pretty big hint of my religion in it and I'm not forcing it on you so be happy will ya? Love ya'll! Toodles!

*** 

Um… Mighty Ducks the Animated series belong to Disney. However, I'm not so sure about the professional human hockey team. ^-^' But I'm not really writing about them so HAH! And I belong to the Great King and I'm leaving now before I can ramble on anymore… ^-^

***

"Have you ever stolen a hover car? Have you ever been in a street fight? Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever done any illegal drugs? Have you ever killed another duck? Have you ever…"

"Stars, what is this? An school entrance questionnaire, or a police filing report?"

Nosedive snickered as Duke continued to read the questions aloud, pacing in the small office as the younger mallard sat in a chair at the paper-covered desk. He was wearing his older brothers old jacket, an old hockey jersey from their time on Earth, a pair of Earth jeans and a pair of sneakers. At twenty-three he was applying for a chance to go to one of Puckworlds best finishing schools.

"I guess they want to be sure about my background." He said with a shrug, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair. It was still long, but was now tied loosely back at the nape of his neck, though his bangs seemed to rebel against the black holder and hung in his face. Duck smirked and shook his head, handing the blue and green paper back to Nosedive.

"Well, they wouldn't want me in their school. I'd have to plead guilty on a lot of those questions." He stated. Nosedive shook his head, frowning as he looked at the paper and skimmed the questions.

"I don't see any reason for them to get so personal." He mumbled, standing and walking over to a far window and allowing Duke to sit down. The elder mallard wore his old maroon thieving outfit, only now it held a police badge over his heart, his trench coat hanging on a coat rack next to the door. The walls and door were made of glass so that he could see outside the office and watch the officers work. Duke put his hands behind his head as he leaned back in his chair, his mood darkening.

"Your past follows you wherever you go. I should know." He muttered. At that, Nosedive looked at him.

"The past can be wiped clean you know."

"Kid, don't even start. Your brother's been on my case about that for years, but I know the truth. I'm too tainted. Just drop it." Uncomfortable silence fell and Duke sighed unhappily. "Sorry kid…"

"No. Don't be. I'm sorry if we've been pushy." Nosedive's usual joking attitude seemed to be slaking as the young mallard turned back to the window. It was dark out, snow falling lazily. Suddenly he sighed. "I'm not sure I want to go to finishing school." He said suddenly. He looked at Duke again with a weak grin, changing the subject and leaning on the windowpane. Duke gave him an odd look.

"Why not? Its like college on Earth right?"

"Well, no actually. It's harder, and the professors aren't as friendly." The blonde mallard looked out the window again, pausing for a long moment with a strange look on his face.

"Something wrong kid?" Duke asked, sitting up, then standing.

"Yeah…" Nosedive mumbled. "Wildwing's just… projecting again." Duke gave him an odd look and Nosedive shook his head. "Tanya hasn't been feeling well, and she's about a week over due…" Duke winced and joined his former teammate at the window.

"Yeah, I heard about that."

"You have?" Nosedive gave him a surprised look and he shrugged almost sheepishly. 

"Leslie…" he had to clear his throat. "She's a member of the Servanthood, and she told me about their troubles. She's part of some kind of prayer chain thing…" he shrugged and Nosedive grinned suddenly.

"Is Leslie that lady I saw you with at the Ritz last night?" he asked with a playful wink. Duke made a face and gave him a weak punch in the shoulder.

"Kid, you are too nosy for your own good." He growled. "But yes. I took her out to eat at the Ritz last night. We had to leave early though, her daughter's baby-sitter called. Emily was sick." 

"She has a kid?" Nosedive asked in surprise. 

"People make mistakes." Duke shrugged. "Leslie told me that she grew up in the Servanthood but nothing really hit home till she got pregnant and her boyfriend left her." Nosedive winced.

"Painful wake-up call." He muttered. Duke merely shrugged, growing quiet as Nosedive began shifting as he held an arm to his midsection and turning pale beneath his feathers.

"You okay kid?" Duke asked after a moment.

"Huh?" Nosedive looked at him with almost unseeing eyes.

"Something wrong with your brother?"

"No. He's just told me he's taking Tanya to the hospital, but he's fine. Why?"

"Do you need to sit down?" 

"I'm fine." There was silence for a moment then… "So, I hear you got promoted. That why you've got this office?" Nosedive asked. Duke smirked and shook his head.

"Nah. I got this office before I got this new position. I'm captain now." He winked, gaining a snicker out of Nosedive, the younger mallard, suddenly pressing his forehead to the window glass as a grimace formed on his face. "Kid, are you sure you don't need to sit down?" worry enveloped him and Nosedive shook his head.

"No. My stomach's just been bothering me. It's nothing big Duke." He claimed.

"Sit down Dive. You look like you're about to pass out on me. I am not giving you beak to beak, ya hear me kid?" Duke grinned weakly as Nosedive snickered softly, then pushed away from the window.

"Fine, you win." He stated. Duke took him by the arm, then cried out as the younger mallard's eyes rolled back and the blonde went limp. Duke caught Nosedive before he could hit the floor and immediately yelled for help. A gray mallard wearing an officer uniform ran in, leaving the door open as other ducks stood up curiously. 

"Call for an ambulance." Duke ordered as he kneeled, laying Nosedive on the floor.

"Sir." The gray mallard leapt up to the desk and immediately pressed something on a dark blue screen. The screen changed to show a female duck with brown feathers and honey colored hair in a bun.

"Hospital." She said. The rest was lost to Duke as he checked his friends vitals, realizing that the younger mallard was running a high fever. Why hadn't Nosedive said anything? He cursed.

"*** Nosedive. You're worse than your brother, ya know that?" he hissed, worry eating at him. He could only pray the younger mallard would be all right. 'Pray? Yeah right… like the Great King would listen to me.' Despite his thoughts on the matter however, he found himself praying anyway.

O.O

He was almost surprised to see Wildwing in the waiting room of the hospital, then reminded himself of what Nosedive had said earlier. The two mallards looked at each other for a moment till Wildwing smiled weakly.

"Hi Duke. Thanks." He said wearily. At Duke's look he tapped his head. "We may not share power anymore, but we can still tell. Some things just, don't change. Ya know?" he asked. Duke shook his head with a smirk and a snort.

"You're asking me? I used to run the Brotherhood of the Blade, and I'm the Captain of the police force now." He grinned. "But yeah, I still manage to sneak a doughnut off of someone else's desk before they realize it, so I guess I know what you mean." He said with a wink. Wildwing chuckled at him, then sat down and offered him a seat. "How's Tanya?" he sat down.

"That's a very good question." Wildwing told him, running a hand through his still unruly hair. He was wearing a professional hockey jacket, Nosedive's old hockey jersey from Earth and a pair of jeans and sneakers. Duke noted this with a lifted eyebrow. The two didn't even live together anymore and they still managed to dress alike. Nosedive must be turning into his brother… which was almost a scary thought. What did that mean Wildwing was turning into? Nosedive? 

"When I brought her in, they took her away and I haven't heard anything since." Wildwing said, regaining Duke's attention. "I'm even more worried now, because of Nosedive." He sighed, again running his hands through his hair. "Today's just not a good day." He muttered, looking heavenward and closing his eyes as he said a quick silent prayer. There was silence for a moment, then Wildwing looked at Duke.

"Mallory's here." He said suddenly. Duke gave him an odd look, then started when Mallory hurried in dressed in the uniform of Puckworlds finest. Still military. Yep, something's don't change.

"Hey guys." She said, seeming almost out of breath. "Someone told me that Nosedive was brought in. What happened?" she asked them.

"He passed out in my office and was running a fever." Duke told her. "They're giving him a look over right now." Mallory nodded, then sighed. She then saw Wildwing.

"Where's Tanya?" she asked.

"In there." Wildwing and Duke said as one, both nodding with their heads in the direction of the Emergency room. Mallory's eyes widened.

"Ooh." Was all she said as she sat down on a chair near them. It was against a corner wall so that she could see them. "Have you gotten in touch with Grin or Canard?" she asked. The two mallards shook their heads.

"No." Wildwing muttered, his elbows now on his knees as his chin was cupped in this hands. He was staring at the far wall without seeing it. 

"Grin's out of town, and you know Canard." Duke shrugged. Mallory shook her head, growling lowly as her temper surfaced once more.

"Next time I see him, I'm dragging him to an emergency get together." She threatened. Wildwing snickered weakly as Duke leaned back in his seat and chuckled.

"Good luck kiddo. I'd love to see you try." The one eyed mallard told her. Then he quieted. "How long has it been that we've seen him anyway?" he asked.

"Three years." Wildwing muttered sadly. "And it's been two and a half years since I talked to him. Every time I tried to call I got the answering machine up until last year."

"You quit calling?" Mallory asked softly. Wildwing shook his head, pain evident in his eyes.

"The line had been disconnected." He mumbled. "Then I quit calling." Duke looked upwards silently, almost guiltily. There had been several times that he'd thought of doing such a thing, but had never found any good reason to do such a thing. And then there was another reason, something he'd wished to avoid and Canard had apparently not thought about. How much it would hurt Wildwing and the others. The time on Earth had changed them all from just a team to friends, and then from friends into a family. To loose something that was this special was unthinkable and to just toss it aside like so much garbage was foolishness. Something he could never bring himself to do. With the team… his family… he was accepted as he was, even if they did try to bring him into the Servanthood. But they couldn't understand, no matter how hard they tried. He was too tainted… too tainted. There was no way he'd ever be good enough. No way…

"Mr. McDrake?" the three looked up to see a young woman with golden feathers and brown hair tied back in a neat ponytail. She started when Wildwing stood and she pointed at him with a dropped jaw. "Y-You… you're…"

"You had something to say to me?" Wildwing asked, almost impatiently. Quickly she composed herself and nodded.

"Um, yes. Your brother…" she stopped for a second as her eyes suddenly widened. Mallory frowned, starting to bristle as her hands balled into fists slowly. Uh-oh…

"About Nosedive…" the red head snapped. The young nurse jerked in surprise, then blushed furiously.

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry, it's just that... Wow! The descendants of Drake DuCaine!" she breathed. Wildwing looked heavenward for help as Duke stood in case Mallory decided to attack.

"Hey, what about Nosedive?" Duke asked as Wildwing finally looked back at the younger duck in exasperation.

"Yes, um…" the nursed quickly composed herself and cleared her throat. "They're prepping him for surgery. He was suffering from appendicitis and his appendix nearly burst today. Fortunately he's okay, but they're going to get it out before it *can* burst. The doctors were kind of surprised that it's still intact, but otherwise, he should be all right." She told them.

"Thank the Great King." Wildwing sighed, some worry leaving him. "And my wife? Have they said anything about her?" he asked anxiously. 

"The doctor wants you to stay here sir."

"What?"

"What for? What does that mean?" Duke asked as Wildwing paled.

"She's gone into labor. They'll send someone when it's over with sir." The young nurse told them. Then in a burst of excitement she turned quickly and dashed away. "I've got to call my girl friends. I met the DuCaine's!" they heard her exclaim. Mallory and Duke blinked, startled at the nurses actions as Wildwing sat down.

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered wearily. "And you nearly drove the older one crazy." Duke chuckled at this as Mallory moved to sit on the other side of Wildwing.

"Not one much for your fans?" he asked. Wildwing shook his head and rolled his eyes heavenward.

"I lose patience easily with people like her." He explained. "It's not like we're that much different." He complained.

"Except that you and Nosedive are descendants of the great Drake DuCaine and hove powers that no other duck on Puckworld could ever dream of." Mallory pointed out.

"And you two are the most sought after ducks as well. Especially Nosedive, seeing as how he's apparently single." Duke said, sitting down. He paused at the icy glare Mallory sent him.

"Says who?" she asked.

"Well, you two haven't claimed to be dating yet have you?" he asked. Wildwing snickered as Mallory turned red and quieted. "Have you?"

"What? Do we have to call a press conference now or something?" Mallory snapped at him. Duke nearly laughed aloud and Wildwing chuckled at her.

"Nosedive told me the same thing this morning." He told them, tapping his head to show that it had been a telepathic conversation.

"You harass him about it too?" Duke asked.

"I know I haven't got much room to speak on the topic, but yeah. Turn about's fair play." Wildwing told them, sitting up and leaning back wearily. "Anyway, it's in the rule book for siblings." He grinned. Mallory rolled her eyes.

"Tell me about it." She groaned. "Alex has been bothering me about all this since he met Nosedive."

"Alex, he's your brother that went blind?" Duke asked. Mallory nodded.

"Yeah. He's a high ranking General now."

"General? He's in the military? But he's blind!"

"Yeah, but Daddy managed to pull a few strings back when he lost his sight." Mallory told him.

"I'm surprised that he lived through the attack." Duke told her as Wildwing listened to them quietly.

"He was working in an underground bunker at the time." Mallory told him. Wildwing suddenly looked at her.

"Was that the one they turned into the rebel base?" he asked. Mallory nodded with a smile.

"You got it."

"I met him! Your brother."

"Really? When, how?"

"I literally ran into him in a hallway. Nosedive had gotten sick and I was worried, but they wouldn't let me in to check on him, so I was just running up and down the halls." Mallory gave him a funny look and he put a hand behind his head in embarrassment. "I was worried…" he muttered with a shrug. "Anyway, I kind of ran into him. He thought it was funny, and I never realized he was blind until he took of his sunglasses so that I could look at them."

"He took off his sunglasses?" Mallory asked in surprise. Wildwing nodded. 

"Yeah, I was interested in the make." He shrugged sheepishly. "Anyway, he took them off and gave them too me and I told him that the lenses were smudged, and when I went to show him I realized he couldn't see. He even told me that it didn't matter since he'd never 'seen' the glasses anyway. He was a nice guy, waited around with me till he was almost late for some meeting." Mallory smiled and shook her head.

"Alex has always been a great guy, he taught me a lot of the moves I know. I flew through the ranks because he'd always come home and teach me everything he'd learned. If he didn't, I'd hassle him till he did." She admitted. Duke and Wildwing snickered at her.

"Are your other brothers in the military too?" Duke asked. Mallory quieted.

"They used to. My second oldest brother Gavin was one of the first ducks to die. He never made it to the camps. My youngest older brother Jacob was killed in the mines. My oldest brother Mitch was injured on a mission and left the military. He was helping with the construction of the city, after the rest of the saurians left on Puckworld were chased back into Dimensional Limbo, and was knocked off the scaffolding. He was up too high." She quieted, then shook her head. "Alex and I are the only ones left save Dad. Mom died of starvation in one of the camps." She told them softly. Silence engulfed them, as did painful memories of the Saurian attack. Coming back home four years ago had been both a joyous and painful experience. For coming home meant that they had to learn how many ducks had died, and find out who or what was left of their families.

"Mr. McDrake?" the silence was shattered by the deep voice and the three looked up to see a tall bronze-feathered mallard standing in the doorway. "Congratulations." The mallard smiled, walking in as Wildwing stood. "You are the proud father of twins!"

"Twins?" Wildwing asked weakly as his hand was shook.

"A healthy boy and girl. They're waiting for you with their mother, if you'll follow me I'll take you to them." The doctor smiled and Wildwing nodded, Duke and Mallory standing.

"What about Nosedive?" Duke asked worriedly.

"His still in surgery. It's going to be a while, but he's doing well so far." The bronze doctor informed him. Wildwing turned to them.

"Come with me, and we'll go see him together when he gets out." He said. There was both joy and worry in his eyes and they nodded, walking with him to see Tanya.

^-^'

Tanya was sitting up in bed with a nurse standing over, both of them holding a bundle, the nurse handing her bundle to Wildwing when he walked in and then walking out of the room as Mallory and Duck stood uncomfortably. Wildwing and Tanya didn't really notice as Wildwing sat down on the edge of the bed and gave his wife a quick kiss, then turned and smiled at them.

"Hey, come here and see my son and daughter." He told them happily. The joy was catching and Tanya smiled as she looked at them, her glasses gone and her face tired.

"Hey guys!" she said softly, happily. She held a small yellow-feathered duckling in her arms, Mallory grinning as she held a hand out and touched the sleeping ducklings small head.

"They're adorable!" she exclaimed quietly. Duke nodded with a smile of his own, a strange feeling coming over him. What was it? Jealousy? Quickly he stomped it out and allowed the duckling in Wildwing's arms to grab his finger and blink up at him with large brilliant eyes.

"She's right Wing, Tanya. They're beautiful." He told them honestly. Tanya blushed.

"Thank you." She and Wildwing said as one, softly. 

"So, have you decided on names yet?" Duke asked, looking at Wildwing, and then Tanya. Tanya took a deep breath and looked at Wildwing almost hopefully.

"Well, we did have a name picked for them, but…" she trailed off and Wildwing gave her an odd look.

"But?" he asked.

"I changed my mind." She whispered sheepishly. Duke snickered as Wildwing chuckled and shook his head.

"You've been doing that a lot lately." The white mallard muttered, causing Mallory to giggle at them and Duke cover his beak. Tanya made a face at him, then smiled.

"I had an excuse." She muttered.

"Well, what did you decide you want to name them?" Mallory asked a moment later. Again Tanya looked at Wildwing.

"If Wildwing doesn't mind… Terry…" she nodded at the child in Wildwing's arms. "And Amy." There was silence for a moment, then Wildwing looked down at his daughter in his wife's arms and shook his head.

"Terry, and Rachel. After your mother." He said softly, his voice almost breaking from emotion. "Nosedive wanted to name his first daughter after Mom, and I want him to have that right." Tanya nodded and smiled.

"Terry and Rachel then." 

Duke looked down at the child holding his finger, making a face when the duckling put his finger in a toothless beak.

"Does it taste good Terry?" he asked, Wildwing snickering as Tanya and Mallory watched, grinning.

"I think he likes you Duke." Mallory teased.

"No, he likes my fingers. That's what he likes." Duke grinned at her. The nurse returned and smiled at them.

"We need to finish feeding them." She said quietly. "And Nosedive has been placed in a room now. The doctor will take you to him." She told them, taking Terry from Wildwing. Tanya looked at him in worry.

"Nosedive?" she asked as Mallory and Duke moved away, after the older mallard had freed his fingers. This caused Terry to start crying. Wildwing kissed Tanya quickly.

"He had appendicitis, Duke brought him in." he explained. "He's all right." He promised her. She nodded, worry still on her face. "I'll be back." Wildwing promised, and she kissed him once more.

"You'd better be." She smiled at him and they parted.

Duke walked with Wildwing and Mallory quietly, Wildwing sighing as they followed the same bronze feathered mallard from before.

"Today's been a day." He said suddenly, causing Mallory and Duke to look at him.

"That it has." Mallory muttered, looking down at her watch and grimacing. "Dad's gonna' shoot me." She mumbled suddenly. Duke and Wildwing looked at her now and she winced.

"I was supposed to call him ten minutes ago."

"Why?" Duke asked.

"I'm living on my own and he's worried." She shrugged at the look he gave her. "He worries now. Guess it's because it's just him and Alex at home now."

"He doesn't want to lose anymore family." Wildwing said quietly, gaining attention. "He's gonna' worry about you." He shrugged and gave a knowing smile and Duke gave Mallory a weak smile.

"You're lucky Mal-Mal. My Dad never cared that much about me." He shrugged and the conversation ended there as they came to a darkened room.

"He's still coming around from sedatives, so he's not going to be all there right now." The doctor warned them.

"Would it be all right if one of us stayed with him tonight?" Wildwing asked suddenly. 

"Yeah, I'd like to if ya don't mind." Duke spoke up suddenly, nearly surprising himself and gaining a thankful nod from Wildwing. The doctor looked at them both, then nodded in affirmation. 

"That won't be a problem." He said. "I've got to go, but a nurse will be by later to take care of him in about an hour or so." He told them. Then with a comforting smile and a wave, he was gone. The three entered the room to see Nosedive sleeping with his head to the side, his hair in a mess around him. Someone had taken the band he'd used to bind it. Mallory sighed and came over, brushing back the hair.

"He's not going to be happy about his hair being messed up." She said quietly, Wildwing and Duke walking up beside her.

"Wonder why they undid his hair." Wildwing said. Duke shook his head and shrugged.

"Who knows?" he asked. Then he grinned mischievously. "Should I file a report?" he teased. Wildwing snickered and elbowed him playfully as Nosedive took a deep breath, blinking at them dully.

"Wha happen?" he asked, his speech slurred from the painkillers.

"You passed out. Your appendix almost burst today kid." Duke told him.

"Zat why my stomach hurt?"

"Yeah. You feeling any better baby bro?" Wildwing asked softly. Nosedive gave a slow weak nod and took Mallory's hand, ready to go back to sleep again. "Hey Dive." His eyes opened again and Wildwing smiled. "Tanya had twins. A boy and a girl. You're an uncle now." Nosedive blinked at him uncomprehendingly.

"Cool." He mumbled, then closed his eyes and slept again. Wildwing shook his head as Duke smirked.

"He's too out of it." He stated. Wildwing nodded, smiling.

"Yeah. I'll tell him again later, when he's more coherent."

"At least it kind of registered." Mallory shrugged, reclaiming her hand and running her fingers through the knotted blonde hair. She sighed. "I'd better go, before my Dad goes crazy with worry." She told them. "I'll be back tomorrow evening, and I'll bring something to tie back his hair with." She promised. Wildwing nodded and smiled at her.

"Thanks for coming." He said quietly. She merely smiled.

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked, then she gave he and Duke a hug and left. Wildwing then leaned over and brushed aside some stray strands of hair on Nosedive's forehead.

"I've got to go back to Tanya." He said softly, then he turned to Duke and gave him a grateful smile. "I'll try to come by later, see how you two are doing." He stated. Duke nodded.

"Don't worry Wing. I'll take care of 'im."

"I know. See you later."

"Yeah. Later." With that, Wildwing nodded at him and left. Then Duke was alone with Nosedive, and he sat down beside the bed, crossing his arms.

"Guess I'm taking tomorrow off then." He muttered, and then he made himself comfortable for the night.

^-^

"Duke?" he looked up from some paperwork he was doing to see a female duck with gold feathers and hazel mid-back length hair smiling at him from the door. She was wearing a green sweater and a pair of black slacks. "Hi." She said cheerfully, smiling at him. He smiled back, stretching and then realizing that there were only two other officers in the room in front of his office.

"What time is it?" he asked her, surprised.

"Eleven in the evening. I was wondering if you'd lost track of time." She smiled at him lovingly and walked over to the desk, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Emily was upset that she couldn't see you before she went to bed tonight."

"You let her stay up again?" she shrugged. "Leslie…" she frowned at his warning tone and smacked his arm.

"I told her that she could stay up till you came, but you didn't." she told him darkly. He sighed unhappily and ran a hand through his hair, messing up his 'do'.

"I'm sorry Leslie." He told her. "I just… I got caught up in my work."

"You do that a lot, don't you?" Leslie asked him softly. Duke quieted, staring at the desk without seeing it.

"I've got a lot of demons left to face." He muttered. They sat in silence for a while, he wasn't sure how long, till Leslie wrapped her arms around him and kissed him lovingly.

"Come on. I'll walk you home." She said softly. Duke looked at her, then at his desk, then smiled at her.

"Sure. I'm done here anyway."

"Really? Could have fooled me." She made a face at the papers on his desk and his shook his head.

"The work of a cop is never done." He muttered. He stood and stretched, Leslie standing and getting his jacket for him. "Now I know why Klegghorn was always in a bad mood."

"Klegghorn. He's one of the humans you meet on Earth, isn't he?" Leslie asked him, as he walked over to her. He nodded.

"Yeah, pretty interesting character." He grinned at her. She looked at him.

"I'd like to go to Earth, I don't see why the DuCaine's won't work with the business' and give passage to Earth from Puckworld." She said. Duke looked at her now.

"They have their reasons." He said evasively. Leslie frowned, taking the arm he offered her after he put on his jacket and she donned hers, the two walking out of the office, and then out of the room to the elevator.

"What reason would that be? Don't you feel selfish for keeping this ability to yourselves?" she asked him. "I mean, a relationship between Earth and Puckworld wouldn't be so bad." She said. The elevator doors opened and they entered. "It could be a family business don't you think? The McDrake's and their kids could make portals to Earth and give us transportation back and forth." Duke shook his head.

"Wouldn't work kid." Leslie made a face at 'kid' then frowned.

"Why not?"

"Wildwing and Nosedive can't make portals forever." He pointed out.

"Yeah, but when they can't, their kids could." She quieted as he shook his head and confusion swept over her face. "Couldn't they?"

"No. The Great King told them that this all ends with them. They are the last of their family to have the power of DuCaine and from here on out, they can live normally." He explained to her. 

"What about the technology of the saurians? Can't they scrounge it from Dimensional Limbo?" another shake of the head. "Why not?"

"The Guardians of Dimensional Limbo got rid of the technology. Part of the saurians punishment for all they did." Duke told her. The doors opened and they exited the elevator, then walked out of the building and into the cold night. Turning their shoes to skates, they started homeward.

"Well, at least the military allowed shoe companies to use their technology and make the same kind of skates they use." Leslie said after a while. Duke nodded.

"Yeah." There was silence for a while as he watched snowfall, lighted by the streetlights. "So what did you do today?" he asked after a while. Leslie smiled at him. 

"Well, I had the day off, so Emily and I went to the ice rink down town." She said.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes, but Emily was complaining because you weren't there." Duke smirked and shook his head.

"She's gotten attached to me has she?" he muttered. Leslie looked at him.

"Well, you've stuck around a lot longer than anyone else ever bothered to." She told him. He looked at her in surprise.

"Really?" he asked. She nodded.

"We've been dating for almost a year now."

"Yeah, but…" he shook his head. "I just can't figure why any one wouldn't want to stick around." He told her. She smiled, blushing beneath her feathers. She didn't say anything, so he merely wrapped an arm around her. "How about I just take you home. I'll double back. I don't want you out here alone."

"I was alone before, when I came to get you." She reminded him. He nodded.

"Yeah, but I'm here now." He pointed out. "I'm sorry you had to come peel me from that desk, but I don't want you alone on the streets after dark." She quieted as he held her a little tighter.

"What was it like Duke? Living on the streets?" she asked after a moment. Silence answered her for a moment, then;

"Scary." Nothing more was said after that as they skated together towards her home. After he'd dropped her off, he waited till she was inside safe, then turned and headed back to his apartment. The streets of the city of DuCaine were quiet, only a few hover vehicles passing every now and then as the people were prone to staying inside after dark. Parts of Puckworld were still recovering and many ducks worked from dawn to dusk on rebuilding, and then working to keep the people safe. 

Walking up the stairs to get to his floor he listened out for any kind of movement. He heard someone slam something against a door and yelling, but it quieted quickly and he sighed. Coming home, wasn't something he really looked forward to anymore. The office was better than this place. Maybe he was becoming anti-social, but some ducks were just… ah, who cared? He wasn't any better was he? At least they weren't stealing, and getting ducks killed. Memories flooded him and he shook his head quickly. Anyone who'd been in the original Brotherhood were probably dead. At least the only one he'd ever considered as even being close to family was anyway. Didn't matter anyway, he had his own demons he had to deal with, and thinking wasn't helping any so…

He walked into his apartment and shut the door and turning he locked and bolted it. Then he turned on the hall light and bent over to pick up the mail scattered on the floor. His apartment wasn't that big, but it was thankfully clean. The kitchen was to his right, the living room before him. On his left there was a bathroom, a bedroom on the right, adjoining the living room.

"Bill, bill, ooh! I just won a chance to pay five hundred dollars and go on a trip! Whoo!" sarcasm dripped in giant puddles, and he moved to the living room and plopped down on an old couch. "Oh hey, real letter!" he tossed the rest of his mail onto a coffee table that sat before the couch and looked at the envelope. Seeing no return address he opened it. He read the letter then smirked. Thank you note from Nosedive, and an invite to something a group of members of the Servanthood were doing.

"Right." He muttered. "Sure kid." He shook his head and set the letter down, turning back to the rest of his mail. Another bill, newsletter from your neighborhood grocery, and a…

Duke stopped and looked at the black disk in his hand curiously.

"What the heck?" he muttered. He turned the disk over, then leapt up in shock. The symbol of the Razorbills was embedded in the disk, a red light flashing above the blood red symbol. The next thing he knew, there was a bright hot white light and then searing pain. Then, unconsciousness claimed him.

O.O

**_Duke._**

_"Wha? Where am I? What's going on?" Duke turned around in a full circle, then stopped and shifted uncomfortably. He looked at himself and gasped in alarm, for attached to his hands and feet were shackles, the chains going upwards almost as if some twisted kind of puppet on a string. He was wearing a robe that was blackened and filthy. There was a stench of death and it made his stomach churn and he nearly became sick._

**Duke. Come, follow me.**

Duke started at the familiar voice, then moved backwards almost fearfully.

"I can't. I'm not good enough. You don't want me." He moaned, hiding his face in his hands.

**Who are you to tell me who I want and who I do not?** there was anger in His voice, but then He seemed to calm sounding like a parent trying to soothe a child. **Duke, why do you hide yourself from me? Do you not understand that I want nothing more than for you to be with me? Duke, leave behind these chains and come, follow me.**

Duke shook his head, still hiding behind his hands and refusing to look.

"I can't." he moaned, sobbed. "I can't…" finally he tore his hands away, only to scream at the creature before him. It laughed at him, hissing at him and clinging to the chains with its mangled hands and feet, its body twisted and deformed. Its eyes were slitted, glowing gold, it's teeth sharp jagged and bloodied. It laughed maniacally, flinging it's deformed head back, its hunched back arching as much as it could. The pull on his chains made him jerk forward and he stared at this creature in terror thinking of a gremlin from one of the movies Nosedive had made him watch back on Earth… only this was uglier and more terrifying. Suddenly the creatures face was right in his, the slitted eyes boring into his and burning them.

**"You belong to Us!"** the creature hissed, then leaned back and as Duke cried out it opened its mouth and flew forward as if to devour him.

"NO!"

O.O

"Urk!" Duke tried to sit up, but hands pressed him back down and he struggled against them, a bright light keeping him from opening his eyes. He whimpered, unable to find the strength or the voice to cry out again, pain pounding all over him.

"Duke! Calm down!" a familiar voice broke through the haze of pain and he felt a pair of familiar hands press down on his shoulders. A shadow fell over him and he opened his eyes, a strange almost cold feeling spreading through him as he began to shake uncontrollably. Wildwing. Wildwing and… Nosedive. Had it really been that long since he'd seen the two? Yes, a couple of months to be exact… 

He stared up at the two, his body spasming and not doing as he wanted it to. He was lying in the street, under a street light with ducks crowded around. He could now make out sirens, but… what had happened? What was that creature? A dream?

"Have you got him stabilized yet?" Wildwing was calling to somebody. Why was he glowing?

"We're working on it!" someone called back.

"Duke. Duke! Can you hear me?" Nosedive asked, coming close to him. Why was Nosedive glowing?

"Duke? Can you talk? Duke?" Talk? He tried and only choked on something. Why was there warm metallic water in his mouth?

"DUKE!" was he dying? Was this death?

"Hang on Duke! Just hang on!" Nosedive, hang on to what?

"Great King, help us." Someone was praying… why? Warmth flooded over him, the pain starting to leave and he closed his eyes as his breathing became less painful and evened out. 

Sleep.

It was calling to him, as was something else. Oh how he wanted to sleep, but something else was calling. Something more important? He wasn't sure.

_"Duke!"_

"Oh man, please don't die…"

Die? Why would he die? As tempting as it was to just sleep, he fought to open his eyes again, and was rewarded with seeing Wildwing and Nosedive once more, both of them surrounded by a silver, almost white, flame that danced off their bodies as their eyes glowed pure silver. Their hands were on him… were they healing him?

"Hang on Duke. Everything's going to be all right." Wildwing said calmly.

"Just don't give up on us man." Nosedive said quietly, his voice shaking as tears escaped from his eyes. Why was he crying?

"He's stable!" someone cried happily. "Everything's returning to normal! You don't have to worry, he's okay!" what was that nut talking about? Of course everything was okay! The image of that ugly knotted and deformed creature popped into his head and he shuddered. Okay, not everything, but close enough…

"Thank the Great King." Wildwing breathed, yet he continued to glow, his hands didn't leave, the silver didn't disappear in either his eyes or Nosedive's. "Duke," his voice softened. "We're going to take you to the hospital. Everything's going to be okay." He promised. 

"Yeah man. You're going to be just fine." Nosedive's voice was shaking, causing Duke to look at him. As he tried to reach out to the younger mallard, he found he didn't have much strength. But he continued to try, and somehow he managed to reach up to Nosedive, the blonde clasping his hand with his own and bow his head. What… was he praying? Yes, and so was Wildwing. Strange how it calmed him, and he closed his eyes. As unconsciousness claimed him he heard someone calling his name… a woman… and he wondered who she was.

O.O

"…No! Emily, don't do that!"

"But Momma, I wanna stay with Duke!"

"Honey…*sigh* sweetie, you can sit with me, but Duke was hurt."

"But Wildwing and Nosedive healed him."

"Emily, they couldn't heal him completely, so…"

"Why not?"

"What?"  
"Why not?"

"I don't know baby. We're all amazed that they could even heal him as much as they did. Now please, if you want to stay, sit down and try to be quiet so he can sleep."

"Yes Momma." The reply was mumbled and unhappy, he could tell, and he wondered why he didn't just open his eyes and look around, but to open that one eye was kind of hard… but he tried anyway. After a moment, the world came into view in its normal Technicolor/red vision. Ah, the joys of an artificial eye/eye patch. He was in a hospital room, Leslie standing with her back to him in front of the window as she placed some flowers in a vase with fresh water. Emily, a small young duckling with gold feathering and dark hair that stopped at her waist tied back in a long braid. The four-year-old was sitting in a chair at a table that was against the wall, her back to him as well as she colored something dejectedly.

"Duke?" Emily stopped and turned at the sound of her mothers soft voice and he moved his gaze to Leslie to see that she stood with one hand fisted at her chest, worry on her face and hope in her eyes. "Duke?" She came over and took his left hand in her hands as Emily leapt out of her seat in excitement, growing immediately shy as she came near him and hiding at her mothers legs. His mouth was dry and he made a face.

"Water…" he managed to croak, his throat threatening to crumble up and blow away in the wind at the abuse of being used. Leslie nodded and turned, dislodging Emily and hurrying to the bathroom. Emily stared at him with wide green eyes, clinging to the edge of the bed and he stared back at her, wondering if the small child were real or just another dream. Leslie returned on his right side this time and helped him drink. He leaned back when he'd had enough, Leslie setting down the glass and pressing something on the wall by his bed. A strange voice came from nowhere and Leslie told it that he was awake. Emily continued to watch him almost fearfully, and he looked at her sleepily. Then he held his arms out to her and she leaped onto the bed and into his arms.

"DUKE!!" she cried happily, hugging him tightly and causing him to grunt.

"Hey kid." He muttered wearily. "Glad to see you too." He turned to Leslie then almost curiously. "What happened?" he asked.

"Foul play. Someone sent you a bomb and it…" Leslie stopped, tears falling from her eyes. "We didn't think you'd make it… you almost died…but your friends…" she couldn't continue and he reached out to her, causing her to sit on the edge of the bed and join in the embrace he and Emily shared. They sat in silence for a moment till Duke shook his head.

"I had the most awful dream." He muttered.

"Dream?" Leslie asked. Duke shook his head.

"Nightmare's more like it." He muttered. "The Great King was talking to me, but I was chained, and He told me to leave the chains and follow Him. I… dunno, but I didn't feel like I'm worth it, and I'd been hiding, but when I opened my eyes there was this… thing…" he shuddered, Emily staring up at him as her head rested on his chest. Leslie looked at him and began running her fingers through his hair as if to calm and soothe him.

"He's trying to get through to you Duke." Leslie said softly.

"I know." Duke said wearily. "I just don't know why." He whispered as sleep began to overcome him, a doctor's footsteps coming into hearing.

"Because He loves you." Emily said happily. "He loves everybody. That's why He died and came back!"

"He couldn't have died for me." Duke muttered.

"Why not?"

"Because of… everything I was, what I did." Duke didn't go on, and Leslie stopped playing with his hair, only to hug him suddenly.

"Duke, The Great King didn't suffer for just the good people. He suffered and died and rose again for *everyone*." She told him lovingly. "That means you too. He *wants* you to be with Him Duke. He went through all the suffering for a reason." Duke was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"How do I leave behind the chains though?" he muttered, fighting sleep for the answer.

"Give them to Him." Was the reply. It left a question however as he felt Emily and Leslie move, the doctor checking his vitals as he slipped back into unconsciousness. How did he give up the chains? It seemed so hard… Too hard…

O.O

He awoke a second time to find that Nosedive was curled up on the floor with a blanket over him, Mallory curled up in the small cushioned chair, fast asleep. Gee, she was going to hurt when she woke up… He looked around the room to see that the windowsill was filled with flowers, candy (ooh! Good stuff!), cards and a few stuffed toys. He'd probably let Emily have those.

"Duke?" he looked to see Mallory sitting up and stretching. She smiled at him wearily. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Sore?" he asked. She made a face and nodded.

"Nosedive offered to take the chair, but I'm smaller than he is so…" she shrugged and stood. "Do you know what time it is?" she asked. Duke shook his head.

"Not a clue. I just woke up. I don't even know how long I've been here." He admitted to her. She looked at a clock on the wall.

"Well, it's five in the morning." She said softly, then looked at him. "You've been here for about three days. You woke up once yesterday, and you've been out of it since then." She explained. "Emily wanted me to be sure to tell you when you woke up that she said good night and not to worry about bad dreams." She smiled and shook her head. "She's a cute kid." Duke nodded.

"Yeah. She's also about as wired as Nosedive was." He grinned weakly. "Remember when he was turned into a kid by Wraith that one summer?" he asked. Mallory rolled her eyes and groaned quietly.

"How could I forget? He was so cute… and full of energy!"

"Emily's about the same, except she calms a lot quicker than he did."

"She must be a handful then."

"Yeah, but we love her anyway." A groan quieted them and they looked to see Nosedive sitting up and rubbing his head.

"Shut up Wing." He mumbled suddenly, unhappily.

"Dive?" the younger mallard looked up and grinned wearily at them.

"Hey Duke." He whispered.

"Wildwing's not here Dive." Mallory told him.

"I know. But he's projecting again." Nosedive complained.

"Does he do that normally?" Duke asked. Nosedive shook his head.

"Nah, he's just stressed and sometimes he projects without meaning to. He's just really loud right now though." He quieted and smiled weakly. "Glad your still with us Duke." He said. Duke smiled at him.

"Yeah, thanks for helping me out kid." The two smiled wearily at each other, Mallory standing and moving about to get blood flowing in her legs again. "Hey, you're actually up early." Duke pointed out. Nosedive sniffled and looked up at the clock.

"Hey, yeah." He breathed. "Guess that means I should go back to sleep." He muttered.

"Hey Duke?" he looked at Mallory. "Do you know who could have sent that bomb?" she asked suddenly. He frowned at her and nodded.

"It had the Razobills symbol on it."

"Razorbills? A street gang?" Nosedive asked. Duke chuckled at him and shook his head.

"Nah kid. They're a mob, one of the Brotherhood of the Blades rivals when I was in charge. We used to make fun of them, call 'em rookies because of the name." He explained. "I guess one of them remembered me." He stated. Mallory frowned.

"Mob, gang, they're the same in my book." She muttered. Duke merely shrugged.

"Mobs just have more funding Mal-Mal." He told her. "But you're right, they're both bad." Nosedive gave him a quiet look.

"Need any help with this problem Duke?" he asked suddenly. Mallory looked at the one eyed mallard as well.

"Yeah Duke, we're all here if you need us." She stated. He looked at them quietly, then shook his head.

"I'm hoping that the authorities can handle this one." He told them. "But if I really do need some help, you'll be the first to know." Mallory and Nosedive nodded at him, and the three quieted for a moment. "Anybody know when I'll be getting out of here?" he asked.

"They wanted to keep you for a few more days." Nosedive told him. "They've got an officer that sits outside your room and a couple more positioned around in case whoever sent the bomb tries to attack again." He explained. Duke shook his head with a grin.

"I feel so special." He joked, Nosedive grinning at him.

"You should. Canard called." This caused Duke to look at him.

"Canard?" he asked, surprised. Mallory nodded.

"Yeah, he called to make sure you were all right. He heard about what happened over the news."

"You're kidding me! Where's he been all this time?"

"He wouldn't say, but I found out that he's still with the Military. He works underneath his father now." Mallory shrugged. "It's some kind of special assignment from what my Dad told me."

"He said he's going to try and come by to see you." Nosedive told him quietly. "Maybe you can find out why he kinda' disappeared on us." Duke nodded.

"Yeah, I'll ask him about it." He promised them. The conversation ended there as a doctor came in to check his vitals.

It was two days later when someone knocked on his room door. Wildwing was with him, Grin visiting and telling them about his new family for he'd married a widowed woman with four children and they were now expecting another child. The three had quieted in their conversation, and Wildwing went to the door. When he opened it he stopped in surprise for Canard stood there holding the hand of a two-year-old tan-feathered duckling with honey colored hair tied back in a little ponytail. Her free thumb was in her mouth, her wide blue eyes staring up at Wildwing and taking him in.

"Canard?" a weak smile and a short nod.

"Hey Wing." He was startled as he was enveloped in a hug, and then smiled as his old friend pulled him into the room.

"Canard, it's good to see you again!" Wildwing said happily, Canard looking almost sheepish.

"Good to see you too Wildwing, Grin, Duke. How are you feeling?" he asked the older mallard. Duke smiled at him.

"Better. It's good to see you again Canard. You had us all worried! Where'd you run off to?" he asked. Canard shrugged sheepishly, picking up the small duckling when she lifted up her arms and began whimpering something. Wildwing grinned at her and began playing with her, causing her to giggle and duck into Canard's embrace.

"I've been… around." He said evasively. "Actually, I kind of ran with the wrong crowd for a while. I was too ashamed of myself to actually face any of you." He admitted suddenly, growing downcast. There was silence for a moment.

"You're our friend Canard, basically family." Wildwing said suddenly. Canard nodded.

"Yeah, I know." He muttered. Grin nodded at him.

"Who is this little one with you?" he asked. If silence could get anymore quiet, Canard managed to make it do so for a moment before he answered.

"This is my daughter. Dana." He told them. They looked at him, startled.

"You got married?" Duke asked. Canard shook his head, causing them to stare at him.

"No. Like I said, I was… living like I shouldn't. I… didn't know how you'd react." He said quietly. There was silence for a moment before he spoke again. "Her mother, was a waitress in Paladin City, I'd been living there for a while, and when we broke up I didn't realize she was pregnant till she dropped by a few months later to tell me. We, tried to make it work but…" he shook his head. "After Dana was born, Brenda left with some other boyfriend of hers and left Dana with me. I haven't seen or heard from her since."

"I'm sorry Canard." Wildwing told him quietly. Canard merely shrugged, Dana turning in her fathers embrace to look at Duke.

"I messed up, nothing to be sorry about." He muttered. "I've been getting back in the Servanthood, getting my life back in order and everything but… I've got a long way to go." Canard admitted to them.

"If you ever need anything friend, please let us know." Grin rumbled, causing Dana to look at him now. Canard smiled at him gratefully.

"I'll hold you to that sometime Grin." He said, looking to Wildwing who nodded as if to say the same.

"We've got a lot to talk about Canard." The white mallard said suddenly. "Are you living in DuCaine city now?" Canard nodded.

"Yeah, near the public rink even." He told them.

"Hey, you're near me!" Duke exclaimed cheerfully. "Maybe I can come and harass you sometime." Canard snickered at him.

"Sure, I don't mind. But you might want to wait till the afternoon. I've been working half days." He said.

"Half days?" Wildwing asked. Canard nodded.

"Because of my rank and what I'm doing, it pays *really* good." He stated.

"Ah."

"So what has everyone else been doing?" Canard asked. Duke grinned.

"Well, aside from getting blown up…" the others grinned at that. "I'm the captain of the police force." Canard looked at him surprised.

"Really? Wow, that's great!"

"Which part?" the two grinned, Wildwing and Grin chuckling at the one eyed mallard. 

"I have been playing hockey professionally." Grin told them. "I'm also married with four kids and one on the way."

"Four?!" Canard exclaimed in surprise.

"She was widowed. The child we are expecting is my first." Grin explained.

"Oh… Wow Grin, that's a lot of kids."

"The more the merrier." Grin shrugged with a smile. Canard looked at Wildwing, who shrugged and thumbed at Grin.

"We're on the same pro hockey team." He admitted. "I give skating and hockey lessons in the off season." He explained. Then he smiled. "Tanya and I have a son and daughter now. Twins, five months old today."

"Congratulations Wing!"

"Thanks."

"Man, I've missed a lot…" Canard stated. Duke merely shook his head.

"Well, if you stick around you won't miss anything else." He said. Canard nodded, then turned when Wildwing's hand fell on his shoulder.

"Welcome back Canard. We've all missed you." Wildwing said softly, truthfully. Canard gave him a weak smile.

"Thanks Wing. I've missed you guys too. More than I let myself admit."

Duke lay back and watched as Canard, Grin and Wildwing talked, Dana staring back at him and then smiling shyly and waving. He waved back with a tired smile, then lay still and listened to the conversation. Canard was back. Finally the group was together again. Well… sort of…

^-^

__

****

Leave your chains and follow me

I want you to be with me

Why do you hide yourself from me Duke?

Come, rise up and follow me

The darkness was suffocating and he turned, looking for any form of light. Looking for any relief, any escape. But there was none to be found and he was alone in this darkness. He stopped and stood still, unsure of what to do or where to go, and he checked his wrists. Yes, the chains were still there. How could he get rid of them.

****

Give them to me Duke

Duke looked up, startled at the voice of the Great King. What?

"Give them to you? How?"

****

Give them all to me Duke

Let me bear the burden for you

'All?' he shook his head, not really understanding and feeling something holding him back, binding him. Was he covered in these chains? Yes, it felt like it anyway… "I want to… but it's hard…" he found himself saying. He turned away again, as he normally did when he found himself in the presence of the Great King, only to find that he was once again facing the knotted deformed creature from before. It grinned toothily at him, saliva dripping from its mouth. It laughed and he found he couldn't scream as it leapt forward to devour him.

O.O

"Gyah!"

He leapt out off bed and stumbled as he realized that he was standing now. The door to the room he was in opened and Canard looked in worriedly.

"Duke? I heard you yell. You okay?" he asked. Duke nodded and sat down on the bed, his head in his hands. It had been a week since he'd been in the hospital, and since his home had been destroyed, Canard had offered him a room in his home.

"I'm okay. It was just a dream." Duke told him quietly, trying to keep himself from shaking. Canard looked at him silently for a moment, then walked in to show that he was wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of Earth jeans.

"What kind of dream makes you cry out in your sleep?" he asked, leaning over and picking up the blanket that had fallen off the bed. Duke shook his head and didn't speak, noticing that Dana was peeking into the room. She held a stuffed bear in her arms and he smiled weakly when he realized that the toy had been a gift to Canard from some adoring fan when they lived on Earth. She saw that Duke had spotted her and giggled, ducking out of sight again and then peeking back in at him. Canard shook his head, smirking at his daughter.

"What are you doing munchkin?" he asked her almost playfully. She laughed and ran off. "No running!" he called sternly. The pounding of footsteps stopped.

"Yes Daddy." Duke smiled softly at Dana's call, then sighed and looked at Canard.

"She's a cute kid." Canard smiled weakly at him.

"Yeah, thanks." He said softly. He frowned suddenly. "Duke, tell me about this dream of yours." Duke shook his head.

"It's nothing…"

"But it's been plaguing you for a while hasn't it?" at the odd look Duke gave him Canard shrugged. "I can hear you at night. You've had this dream every night since you got here haven't you?" he asked. Duke looked at him for a moment, then sighed and looked down at the floor.

"Basically." He admitted.

"What's so bad about it Duke?" Canard asked him. Duke shook his head, then sighed and looked upwards.

"I keep dreaming about the Great King, and he keeps calling to me, but I keep turning away and when I do…"

"This butt ugly creature appears and is about to eat you, but you wake up before it can." There was a moment of silence as Duke looked at Canard, startled. "I've had that kind of dream before… had 'em for a while."

"When? How'd you get rid of 'em?"

"I had them for a long while, when I was doing what I shouldn't…" Canard paused. "I guess the worst part was that I knew I was doing something wrong and I didn't really care, but the Great King did. When I finally started listening to Him, and going back to the Servanthood, the dreams started to leave."

"Started to?" Duke asked. Canard made a face.

"I wasn't… a follower, I mean, I was going to the services and doing the daily routine, but I hadn't given up my chains… ya know?" he asked. He shook his head and sat down on the bed. "The Great King had my attention, but he wanted something more than that. He wanted me to give up the life I'd been leading and follow him. That meant giving it all up to him, basically giving him my heart. You know, laying it all down and just follow him." Duke frowned at the tan mallard sitting next to him.

"That's a lot of giving." He muttered. Canard nodded, then looked at the far wall almost without seeing it.

"Yeah, but it's nothing compared to what He gave for us. He came and suffered, gave His life willingly, then came back to life three days later. He paid the ultimate price, made the ultimate sacrifice." Canard sighed. "All He wants is to be with us, and instead of stripping us of our free will, He lets us choose. We can either choose Him and life, or we can just turn around and act like…" he paused. "Act like fools." He muttered, bowing his head. He covered his face with his hands. "I did some awful things Duke." He admitted suddenly. "Things I used to help Wildwing try and protect Nosedive from." There was uncomfortable silence for a moment till Canard sighed and looked upwards. "First time in three years."

"What?"

"I'm sober Duke. Haven't been sober in three years. That's why I dropped out, among other things…" Canard shook his head. "I can't… I don't feel like… I can talk about everything else yet." He muttered looking down at the floor. There was that silence again, Duke staring at Canard like he was someone he'd never seen before. After a moment, Canard stood and walked away. "Give it all up to Him Duke. The dreams leave when you give your life to Him, and let Him give you a new life." Canard called over his shoulder. The tan mallard turned and went down the hall, the sound of small feet running sounding when he did so.

"Daddy!" came Dana's cheerful little voice.

"What did I tell you about running?" Canard's muffled voice teased. A peal of laughter rang through the house, followed by Canard's chuckle and the sound of Dana pleading for her father to stop tickling her. Duke listened to the sound, then fell back on his bed, feeling almost as if a ten-ton weight had just slammed into him.

"What else did you do Canard?" he muttered wearily, then he shook his head and stared through the ceiling. "What is so important about us that You want us so badly?" he sighed. "Is it some kind of warning or something?" he wondered aloud. A feeling of some kind of affirmation swept through him and he sighed again, sitting up and standing. He needed to head over to Leslie's house. Quickly he changed, then began to leave. Only, he ran into Dana, the duckling staring up at him as she usually did with her large crystal blue eyes that grew sharper with each passing day.

"Duke." She said, pronouncing the 'k' so he would hear it. He smiled at her and put a hand on her head.

"Hey kid." He said almost gruffly. She smiled up at him lovingly, then threw her arms around his legs. When she released him, she laughed aloud and ran down the hall calling for her father happily. She tore into a room and Duke grinned when he heard an 'oof' and a 'thud'. "It's a Daddy down!" Duke called, gaining laughter from the back room. He chuckled as he heard Dana cheering 'daddy down' loudly, only to squeal with laughter as Canard 'attacked'. Duke shook his head, then left for a day with Leslie and Emily.

^_^

It was dark out when he finally returned, only to cry out as he was bowled over by Dana, the child cheering from atop his chest as he blinked at her, startled. Canard snickered at him, leaning over and lifting up his daughter as Duke stood.

"You've been gone for a long while." Canard stated as Duke stood and closed the door.

"Yeah, well… Emily had a play tonight and she wanted me and Leslie to be there." He shrugged. 

"Whose Emily?"

"Leslie's little girl. She's sweet, and she's growing on me." Canard had to grin at him, then turned as Dana gave a large yawn and laid her head on his shoulder, conking out immediately. Duke looked at her. "Wow."

"Huh?" Canard looked at him and Duke pointed at Dana.

"She just…" he stopped and shrugged, Canard looking at his daughter and smiling softly.

"Yeah, she's had a busy day. Nosedive and Wildwing came over to talk some, and she played with Nosedive the entire time." He explained. Duke grinned, snickering.

"Maybe next time me and Leslie go out, we can get him to look after Emily. See who conks out first." He said cheerfully. Canard merely laughed at him, walking away to put Dana in her room.

"If you're hungry, there's leftover's in the fridge." He called over his shoulder. Duke shook his head and took off his trench coat, putting it on a coat rack by the door.

"Nah. Already ate, but thanks anyway." He called back. He was about to sit down on the couch when he heard a knocking on the door. He frowned as Canard came back from the back rooms with confusion on his face.

"You expecting someone Duke?" he asked. Duke shook his head.

"No. You?" Canard gave him a look.

"If I was, why would I ask?"

"Good point." The knocking came again and the two looked at each other, a bad feeling settling on them for some reason. Canard went to the door, Duke reaching for his trusty saber, which still and always resided on his left arm. The door opened and a short, stocky, gray feathered mallard nodded at them. He wore a nice three-piece suit, two other ducks behind him wearing the same thing.

"We're looking for Duke L'Orange. We heard he's taken up residence in the neighborhood, this house in particular." His said, his voice oily and his eyes dark. Canard frowned.

"I don't know about taking up residence." He stated, Duke walking up behind him and frowning at the well-dressed ducks. Something about this seemed almost familiar… "But yes, he's here." Canard gave a quick glance at Duke, then quickly looked back at the ducks before him. The shorter duck before him smiled acidly.

"Mind if we come in?" he asked, stepping forward as if to push Canard back. However, Canard didn't move, a dark look overcoming his features.

"Yes I mind." He growled. "I'm not expecting company, and I know that Duke wasn't. Were you Duke?" he asked over his shoulder, the mallards before him frowning. Duke shook his head, watching the mallards with distrust.

"Nope. I would have told you earlier." He stated. Canard frowned.

"What do you guys want?" he growled. The three smartly dressed ducks smiled suddenly, a cocking noise sounding.

"Silence." The shorter duck said, pulling out a puck launcher. With a cry, Duke and Canard leapt out of the way as all three ducks fired, Duke stifling a curse as he stood and slashed a puck launcher in half and wrestling with one of the mallards as they forced their way in the house. He was out numbered, all three ducks going after him. One of them pulled out a rope, and wrapped it around his neck, holding the ends in his hands and pulling back causing Duke to choke and gasp for air. His hands went up and he bucked, trying to get the duck off him and flip him. The other two advanced, switch blades out and ready.

"Hey! You guys forget about me?" Canard's voice cut through the fight, the two advancing ducks turning and then crying out as a whipping noise sounded. Then they were falling over, their switchblades falling to the floor as they lay on their sides, bound by a bola puck. The mallard behind Duke loosened his grip and Duke finally managed to fling him over him, watching as the larger duck fell with a thud. Another whipping noise and the mallard was bound as well. Coughing and wheezing to get his breath back, Duke looked to see Canard smiling happily, holding a puck bazooka in his hands.

"Man I'm glad I kept this stuff!" he grinned. Duke chuckled at him, picking up his saber, as it had fallen to the floor in the short scuffle. He then put the tip of the blade in the stouter ducks face.

"Move, and I give you another mouth." He growled in promise. As he reached into his trench coat pocket he looked up at Canard. "You do know that having a concealed weapon is illegal." He stated. Canard grinned devilishly.

"It's not concealed." He said, pointing at the wall. There was a plaque with a large empty space and a puck launcher underneath. "I had 'em mounted." He explained with a wink. "All I have to do is take the safety off and they work again. And the safety is coded so…" he shrugged, still grinning. "Even had a license to use 'em." Duke chuckled, shaking his head.

"Shoulda' known." He muttered, pulling out a communicator from a pocket on his trench coat, then pressed a button. "I've got a break in downtown, west fifth street house number seven zero six. I need a pick up crew down here if ya' don't mind." He said clearly, twisting the blade of his saber at the neck of the stout duck, the mallard cringing and trying to stifle his own whimpering.

"We're on our way Duke." Came a male voice. The connection closed and Duke squatted down by the stout duck, picking up the switchblade and looking at it and the emblem embedded in it.

"Razorbills 'eh. So, you guys are still around?" Duke asked conversationally. "Still rivals with the Brotherhood of the Blade then?" he asked. The stout duck glared at him, then cringed when the switchblade was put in his face, the blade moving slowly in front of his gray eyes. "You gonna' answer me? Or am I gonna have to sic my friend on ya'?" Duke asked almost playfully.

"Brotherhood of the Blade died out years ago." The stout mallard spat. "We're in charge of this town now."

"Really? Coulda' fooled me." Duke stated, his heart sinking for some reason, and yet… did that mean that maybe the others went straight too? He could only hope and pray that it was so. "So, whose in charge of this little operation of yours, eh?" No answer and he frowned. "Not gonna say? Well then, could you nice little boys tell me why you sent me a bomb and then attacked my good friend and I tonight?" he asked.

"You used to be in the Brotherhood and we had a score to settle." The stout duck spat. Duke frowned.

"Mind telling me what that score is?" he asked darkly. The stout duck grunted as a blade was put to his throat.

"You killed Musaki. First leader of the mob of the Razorbills. You killed him and we want revenge!" The duck spat. A dark look crossed Duke's face and he dropped the switchblade, then back slapped the mallard before him.

"Donovan killed your 'leader'." He spat at the now cringing duck. "And it was that monsters own fault." He growled, Canard watching as he placed his puck launcher back in its place on the plaque. A siren was heard in the distance and Duke stood back up, retracting his saber back to the hilt. "And Donovan died in the mines during the saurian invasion." Duke's voice was becoming thick and the one eyed mallard shook his head, pushing back his emotions and calming himself. "So you've no one to get 'revenge' on, you hear me?" he growled, glaring at the three bound mallards. Moments later the authorities were unbinding the three ducks, cuffing their hands and leading them away. Duke and Canard watched as they now stood outside, an officer having already spoken with them about the matter.

"Dana didn't even wake up, did she?" Duke asked quietly a moment later, causing Canard to look at him. The tan mallard smiled and shook his head.

"No. Good thing she sleeps like a brick." He said. Duke shook his head, then sighed.

"The past is always going to haunt me, isn't it?" he muttered. Canard shrugged, growing silent.

"I think that's its job. But, you can either dwell on it and let it consume you, or learn from it, let it go, and move on." He said slowly after a moment. Duke looked at him, then gave a weak smile.

"You've change a lot Canard." He said quietly, Canard looking at him. "I guess you could say, you've grown." Duke stated with a weak smile and a shrug. Canard smiled and shrugged back.

"I had some help." He admitted, turning to watch the authorities do their job and stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. Duke took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Help. He muttered the word and turned to walk down the street, Canard giving him a confused look.

"Hey! Where're you going?" he called. Duke shrugged, not bothering to turn around.

"Who knows?" he called back, changing his shoes to skates and skating away, Canard watching him go worriedly. He looked back to see the police were leaving and he went back into his house, immediately dialing up someone on his view screen. Wildwing's face appeared a moment later.

"Canard?"

"Hey, Duke just left here. Didn't say where he was going, but guess who came and paid us a visit tonight…"

O.O

Duke sighed as he looked at the abandoned underground hockey rink. It was true, the Brotherhood of the Blade was no more. Graffiti adorned the pillars and walls proclaiming who had won the final 'battle' between two mobs. How the Razorbills had accomplished such a feat, Duke wasn't sure. But he was positive that a great number of Brothers had to have been absent from the fight. Himself included. He sat down in the middle of the concrete rink, then flopped onto his back with a sigh, closing his eyes as dust flew around him and settled in his hair as it had when he was a boy. This place had been his haven, his home away from home… and now it was just an empty shell of memories, many of which he regretted. But when it came to helping the people, he could never regret those moments. Never. Even when he'd lost his eye, he couldn't regret what had been done, he wouldn't want to change a thing. But this… Again he sighed, sitting up and rubbing his head quickly, dirt flying in the air once more as he sat still. He snorted at the disturbed dust, just as he had when he was younger, and pondered the words Canard had spoken. This was his past, his teammates/friends/family the present, and Leslie and Emily… the future maybe? Who knew?

"You know, don't You?" he whispered suddenly, staring heavenward. Almost as if the domed ceiling wasn't there. "You keep trying to get my attention; well, You've got it now." He said, his voice growing stronger and bouncing off the walls and concrete stands. He stood and held up a hand, as if showing off the old rink. "This is my past, my nightmares…" he paused, then shook his head. "I want so hard to leave it behind, but every time I turn around it's right there. Staring me in the face." Silence greeted him and he stared down at the floor, growing angry. He looked upwards again.

**"Hey! Are You listening to me?"** he yelled. He made a face and shook his head. **"You spent all that time, keeping me awake at night so You can have my attention, and when You finally have it you ignore me? What is up with that?"** he asked angrily. There was no answer and he looked downward, shaking his head and calming. "And You want me to give up those stupid chains." He stated darkly. "But I don't know how! How can I give something like that to You when I can't get rid of them on my own?! It's too hard… it's impossible!" he exclaimed. He sat down then, his legs crossed Indian style, his head bowed.

"What's so great about me?" he muttered. He looked up. **"WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME??"**

"He doesn't always answer Duke." The voice startled him and he turned, his eye wide. Wildwing stood behind him, his hands in his jacket pockets. The white mallard smiled almost weakly. "Canard told me what happened tonight, and we were worried about you running off on your own… after all that." He said calmly. Duke watched as the younger mallard walked over to him and sat down next to him. Then Wildwing looked around. "Nice place. Come here often?" Duke frowned and looked downwards again, picking up some loose rocks and rolling them over in his hands.

"I haven't been here since the saurian invasion." He muttered. Wildwing nodded.

"Ah. So what made you come back Duke?" he asked. Duke shrugged, looking up and staring straightforward.

"Does it matter?" he asked. Wildwing shrugged and he sighed. "When I was a kid, I always came here. It was… a safe place to hide from my dad. When I'd steal stuff, I'd come back here, then later…" he nodded at the place they were in. "This was the hideout of the Brotherhood of the Blade. No one knew this place even existed, no one could find us… So it was perfect." He explained. "I came back… because it only seemed fitting I guess. I have a problem, I run to my 'Haven'." Wildwing nodded slowly and the two sat in silence for a moment.

"Duke?"

"Yeah."

"Why were you yelling?" Duke turned a little red beneath his feathers, then tossed his rocks one at a time away from him.

"The Great King has been… trying to get my attention I guess. And I was ready to give it to Him, but He wouldn't answer me. Guess He won't talk to you if He isn't the one calling." Duke muttered unhappily. Wildwing looked at him seriously and shook his head.

"That's not true Duke." He said, causing Duke to look at him. "The Great King hears you, but He doesn't always answer directly. Doesn't mean he isn't listening. He sometimes uses others to get his message to you." He explained. "Duke, there's a thing called 'Spiritual Warfare'. " he said suddenly, Duke looking at him. "We've got two sides fighting over us. One that wants to silence the message from the Great King and let us die and the other that wants to get the message to us and give us life. You know how it is in battle Duke. We used to fight the saurians nearly everyday for a while, and you know how hard it was to hear everyone else when we were fighting." Duke nodded.

"Yeah, but we could always hear you Wing." He pointed out. 

"That's because you were listening out for me Duke." Wildwing told him. "If you listen for the Great King, you can hear Him. Focus on the sound of His voice, He'll get His message through to you, somehow or another." The white mallard explained. Then he stood. "I'm sorry Duke, but I've got to get home before Tanya starts to worry. She's gonna' need help with Terry and Rachel anyway so…" he shrugged and Duke nodded at him with a smile.

"That's okay Wing. Thanks." He said softly. Wildwing smiled then walked away with a wave. After the younger mallard was gone, Duke looked upwards again.

"Okay Great King. What do I have to do, 'eh?" the memory of his dreams came back to him and he sighed unhappily. "How do I get rid of the chains then? How do I give them to you?" he sat in silence for a moment, the words of his friends replaying in his mind and he sighed, seeming to gather his courage or strength. Which; he wasn't quite sure. He bowed his head.

**__**

i don't know what to do

Don't know what to say

But i'm going out on a limb here

And giving You my chains.

i want this life i've been told about

i want a new one.

Want to start over

Please, take these chains

Come into my life

And give me a new one.

i'm ready to start over again…

Somewhere, in a plain unseen, a garbled and twisted voice screamed in fury something about 'not another one lost', and died out.

O.O

"Anybody home?" Leslie looked up from where she was pulling a sheet of cookies from the oven and smiled.

"I'm in the kitchen!" she called, setting the metal sheet down and then setting the towels she'd used to pull it out on the counter before turning to see Duke walk in. She smiled at him. "Hey! Are you okay?" she asked, hugging him. He returned the hug and nodded.

"Yeah. Why?" he asked her. She gave him a look, putting her hands on her hips.

"You were attacked at home last night, and then ran off… Why shouldn't I be asking?" Duke put a hand behind his head and gave her a sheepish look.

"Oh yeah. I forgot…"

"You forgot?!" Leslie stared at him, aghast, then paused when she heard snickering. Duke turned as Nosedive walked into the kitchen, something in his fisted right hand.

"Hi Les!" Nosedive grinned, waving with his free hand. Then he shook his head and Duke, 'tsking'. "Poor Duke, forgetting that he was attacked before dinner." He snorted and tossed something to the older mallard and grinned at Leslie. "Dude comes knockin' on my door at one in the morning because he was hungry." He turned back to Duke. "Is that payback for all those midnight raids I used to have back on Earth?" Duke nodded, and grinned.

"Yeah, it was your brothers idea." He stated.

"Was not!" a voice called from the living room. Leslie gave the two a confused look.

"Who's here?" she asked, pushing past them and heading into her living room. Wildwing waved at her from the doorway, Mallory kneeling beside him and showing Emily the silver necklace she wore. Emily turned and grinned at her mother.

"Momma! Look at what Nosedive got Mallory!" she exclaimed, pointing at the necklace. Both Nosedive and Mallory turned a little pink beneath their feathers as Wildwing grinned.

"Yeah that's not all you got her is it Dive?" he asked with a wink.

"Shut up." The younger mallard muttered. Duke gave him an odd look.

"What? What'd you get her?" he asked, toying with whatever it was Nosedive had tossed to him earlier. Mallory looked up confused as well.

"Yeah, that's what I'd like to know." She exclaimed. Nosedive shook his head, looking at her and she frowned at him. In turn, he frowned at Wildwing who merely snickered and walked out the door with a wave.

"See you guys later." He said with a laugh, and then he skated away. Leslie gave Duke a confused look and he shrugged.

"I spent the night at Nosedive's, and Wildwing came by this morning, so he followed me here." He then eyed Nosedive and Mallory. "Actually, they all followed me here." Leslie blinked at him, then at Mallory.

"You spent the night at Nosedive's?" she asked. Mallory's eyes widened.

"NO!" she and Nosedive exclaimed as one, startling Leslie and Emily both. Duke snickered.

"I just…" Mallory started.

"She came over to eat breakfast with me. We'd planned to go out…" Nosedive trailed off, both of them now beet red. At Duke's chuckling the blonde frowned.

"Shut up." He muttered once again. Duke grinned.

"You're about as bad as your brother was Nosedive." He said. Nosedive merely shook his head.

"Are you gonna give her that thing?" he asked suddenly, motioning at Leslie.

"What thing?" she asked. Emily brightened.

"You got Momma something?" she asked excitedly. Mallory and Nosedive grinned as Mallory stood.

"Yeah Duke, you dragged us all over the place to find it earlier this week so… give it to her." Mallory said. Duke made a face at them, then looked at Leslie.

"Yeah, I wanted to give you something but…" he shrugged. "I don't really know if you want it…" he gave her a sheepish look and she shook her head.

"You're impossible Duke." She muttered. "What is it?" he merely looked at Nosedive, who grinned, then got down on one knee while taking her hands in his. 

"Leslie, will you marry me?" he then held up a small velvet box, which held a ring in it. So that's what Nosedive had given him… She smiled at him and nodded.

"Yes." 

Further down the street Wildwing was startled to hear a child yell; "I'M GONNA' HAVE A DADDY!!" He blinked in confusion for a moment, then shook his head and smiled.

"Just as long as I'm in invited to the wedding." He muttered with a grin. Then he turned, his hands in his jacket pockets, and whistling he skated away.

**__**

^-^End^-^


End file.
